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# System prepended metadata

title: Story Time 1 Marlista and Henry
tags: [Tag(D&D old)]

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###### tags: `Tag(D&D old)`
# Story Time 1 Marlista and Henry
I'm new to this so if something seems weird, creepy, or the grammar is messed up, I'm sorry. Just try to read this as innocently as possible. It's very much not supposed to be grounded in reality. Kind of a fairy tale. Just a little something I did in my spare time to set up a particular event in the game, I hope you like it!


# Marlista and Henry

A younger Henry entered Sacred Heart Orphan Home on a routine visit.

"Good morning Ms. Waddlington!"

"She's in her room, don't cause any trouble. As usual, be careful because nobody knows what she's capable of. Damn tieflings she scoffed."

"OK, thanks!"

He approached the door covered in pink and black paint with the words "STAY AWAY!!!" painted on messily.

Henry knocked on the door, but before he could get a word out...

Marlista yelled with a stutter "I SWEAR TO G-G-GOD, IF ONE OF YOU COMES IN HERE TO M-M-MESS WITH ME AGAIN, I'M GONNA BEAT YOU UP J-J-JUST LIKE L-L-LAST TIME!"

She had a pretty bad stutter, and she felt pretty embarrassed about it. Feels like it takes the power and credibility away from your words.

"It's just me... Henry" he said with an awkward smile. 

"Oh, come in!" she said excitedly.

Marlista was sitting by the bed in the middle of playing a two player game by herself.

"Good morning Marlista, how are you doing? I brought something for you!"

He pulled from his bag another game for them to play that he bought with his allowance and a little cake with a single candle in the shape of the number 10, her approximate age as no one knows when exactly she was born. Today is her birthday decided by herself and Henry a year ago when they first met.

He sang happy birthday to her and they shared the little cake while Henry explained the rules of the new game.

Time passed after playing many rounds and the two of them began talking. She tends to talk... a lot...

Henry had been trying for some time to help her build some self confidence. Not knowing her parents, and living in this orphanage where she didn't receive the affection she needed was damaging.

Today he's going to try to explain the concept of love to her. It's been a year since meeting her outside one day while doing chores, and he fancies her. He doesn't feel right about her not understanding the concept though. If she can come to understand love and she feels the same way about him one day then it's meant to be. Otherwise, her heart will have been healed to some degree and that will have been worth it.

He explained it to her as best an 11 year-old could, although he's quite smart for his age.

She didn't understand as she had never felt it before. Most children learn about love from their parents. She had never been picked up, held, or any of the things that parents normally do for their children. 

She said things like:

"Well, when I'm not doing chores or anything, I wait here for you and try to get better at these games so I can beat you! :p

It's lonely here, but when you come to visit I can forget about all of that. 

It makes a little sense, but I think I love black licorice too!"

The two of them laughed together as the love of black licorice was mutual. 

It was about time for Henry to head home for dinner. He said his goodbyes for the day, but before he left she asked him.

"Henry, do you...love me?"

He wasn't sure she quite had it yet, but she understood "like" so he smiled and said "Yeah, of course Marlista, you're my friend!".

She felt uplifted, and as Henry left she began to prepare to go to bed. She laid down and looked out the window toying with the concept of love and making connections to things she'd seen before. 

---
Years and many visits later, Marlista is 16. It's time for her to move out to make room for other kids.

Henry's parents are moving to Neverwinter so he can attend the university for arcane studies.

While taking care of some of the younger kids, she is approached by Ms. Waddlington. 

"Thank you for always helping me around the orphanage, Marlista. Clearly I've raised you well, but now you have to go. You know the rules, you can take care of yourself now. Remember that no one likes tieflings, not even me. So try to cover yourself up, it might save your life. You could probably do well to have those horns cut off too, they're ugly and make you look evil."

Marlista knew this day was coming, and while she hated that bitch with everything in her, she said "I never knew my mother or father, so thanks for the food and the place to stay."

Henry comes by to say his goodbyes to Marlista. She still doesn't have a lot of experience with love as not many people will talk to her. Whenever he comes around though, her brain turns it all on. She can barely function and she doesn't understand why. It's kind of annoying. She stutters through the whole conversation.

Henry says to her "Well, it's time for me to go. This will be our last meeting for a while, but I've heard that there's a spell we can use to talk. I'm going to learn that one first so we can reconnect soon!"

They talk for a little longer, then he kisses her on the cheek. Just a few weeks ago she had told him that she loved him thinking he would stay, but Henry  knew she wasn't quite there yet. She needed some more experience before she could truly love someone.

"Marlista, one day if you come to truly understand love and you still feel the same way, nothing would make me happier than to spend the rest of our days together. I just fear that if it isn't real, you might get hurt and I really don't want that to happen. I want to see you find real love whether it's with me or not, that's my wish for you."

The kiss was electric, she could feel it over her whole body. It was a weird sensation, but she would spend the next phase of her life reading about and trying to experience love. She dated and bedded men and women searching for that feeling once again, and while it was totally freakin' awesome, nothing could compare to that moment in town with Henry.

She had kept in touch with Henry almost the whole time he was gone. Turns out he mastered the spell on the way there as the woman flying the griffon carriage to his dorm knew it. They would message back and forward, and eventually she would learn the spell herself so they could do it more often. 

She was there in the audience to watch his spell thesis on Dunamancy (a newly discovered school of magic based in time and space) and the use of short-term time loops to defend yourself and learn from opponents who are stronger than yourself. He graduated at the top of his class and she asked him if he would come with her to Waterdeep to start a magic shop so she could sell off the rest of the goods she had acquired as a merchant and make some good money. She also needed a bassist for her punk rock band the Hexblades. 

It took her a long time, but she practiced self-love. She came to love the color of her skin and eyes, and the way her horns framed her face. She didn't see herself as a monster anymore, and she began to smile at herself in the mirror. She had realizations that self love is about treating yourself like someone you respect, staying on top of your hygiene, not beating yourself up when you fail, asking for help when you need it, standing up for yourself, being your own good company when no one else is around, and trying to improve your life one step at a time. She noticed that you can apply many of these things to other people and them back to you.

She made a lot of new friends, Betty, Danny, a tiny dragon, Barreth, Lorelei, Catthew, and two guys one dwarven and one elvish who she could never get their names right to name a few (sorry Clay and Matt, I'll get it eventually lol). Henry saw it in her for the first time and shed a tear silently to himself as he was settling into the new house in Trollskull alley. She had truly come a long way. Whether or not they were to be lovers at this point was up to her. He was satisfied as this is what he had wanted for her. She had pulled herself up with her own strength of will after he left. Everything about her from her constant smiling face down to the way she walks reflects true confidence.